Passenger-elevator



2 SheetsSheet 1;

(No Model.)

S. K. HUMPHRBY.-

PASSENGER ELEVATOR.

INVENTOR:

BY Y '3 ATTORNEYS WITNESSES: I 9. fiw -6JW' n. PETERS. vnmmhn n n r, Walhinglnn, n. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. K. HUMPHREY.

PASSENGER ELEVATOR. No. 375,293. Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

T r WITNESSES IN VENTOR 4.6M Q BY mg I ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERiPholb-uihographer, Wuhmkton, D. (2

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SETH K. HUMPHREY, OF

FARIBAULT, MINNESOTA.

PASSENGER-ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,293, dated December 20, 1887.

Application file l August 3, 1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SETH K. HUMPHREY, of Faribault, in the countyof Rice and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and Improved Passenger-Elevator, of which the following. is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved elevator,especially adapted for carrying employs in factories, mills, &c., from one floor to another.

The invention consists of an endless chain passing over sprocket-wheels, of which one is rotated; of platforms fastened on said endless chain; of guides for holding said platforms in place, and of means for starting and stopping the endless chain.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is an end elevation of my improvement with parts broken out. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line a; a: of Fig. 2.

My improved elevator is provided with the shaft A, mounted loosely on the standards B, secured to the ground-floor of the building in which my improved elevator is used. On the shaft A is secured a sprocket-wheel, 0, over which passes an endless chain, D, also passing over a sprocket-wheel, E, secured to the shaft F, mounted to rotate in the bearings G, secured on the cross-beam G, located in the top story of the building.

On the endless chain D are placed at suitable intervals a number of platforms, H, each consisting of two cross-plates, H, secured in their middle to the endless chain D, and each cross-plate H supports on its ends the brackets H carrying a floor, H The two floors H and the brackets H of the two cross-plates H are hinged together at their inner ends, H, as illustrated in Fig. 1, so that when the endless chain D passes over one of the sprocketwheels 0 or E the floors H swing apart, thus permitting an easy motion of each platform Serial No. 246,042. (No model.)

H over the respective sprocket-wheel. At the outer ends of each cross-plate H is mounted a friction-roller, H adapted to travel over a metallic plate, J, secured to the outer edges of the vertical beams I, placed between the top beam, G, and the bottom shaft, A, and connected with each other by the transverse arms I. The plates J project slightly over the cross-beams I at their inner ends, so that the hooks K, secured to each cross-plate H,

can engage said projecting end of the plate J, thus holding each platform in place when passing up or down between the top beam, G, and the ground-floor.

Although I have shown and described'rollers at H, in some cases wear-plates may be used instead.

On the top shaft, F, is held, to rotate loosely, a sprocket-wheel, L, connected by a chain, N, with the machinery for imparting motion to my improved elevator. Instead of thesprocketwheel L, I may employ other means to accomplish the same result. On the sprocket-wheel L are fulcrumed one or more pawls, L, engaging a ratchet-whce1,0, secured to the shaft F, so that the latter is prevented from turning faster than the driving-wheel L,which may occur when a heavy load is mounted on the platforms on the descending side.

On the sprocket-wheel L is formed a clutch, L, adapted to be thrown into engagement with a clutch, P, of the double clutch 1?, held to slide on and turn with the shaft F. The clutch I? on the double clutch P is adapted to engage the stationary clutch Q, supported on the top beam, G.

The double clutch P is operated by the arm R of the bell-crank lever It, fulcrumed on the top beam,G,its other arm, R swinging in the segment R so as to limit the motion of the bell-crank lever B.

W'ith the arm R of the bell-crank lever It is connected one end of the rope S, extending downward, and connected at its other end With the lever T, fulcrumed in its center to one of the upright beams I, near the lower end of the latter. The other end of the lever T is connected by a rope, S,with oneend of a similar lever,U, fulcrumed in its middle on abracket secured to the top cross-beam, G. The other roe end of this lever U is connected by a short rope, V, with the arm It of the bell-crank 1ever It. On the shaft F is also secured a ratchet-whcelflV, which has its teeth standing in an opposite direction to the teeth of the ratchctwheel O, and said ratchet'whccl is engaged by a pawl, W, fulcrumed on one of the bearings G.

lhe operation is as follows: A continuous rotary motion is imparted to the sprocketwheel L, and when an employ desires to ascend from one floor to another he places himself on one platform H on the left, as shown in Fig. 1, and then pulls downward on the rope S, whereby the arm R of the bell-crank lever R is moved downward and the clutch I" is thrown into contact with the clutch I) of the sprocket-wheel L, whereby said clutch I and shaft F are rotated, thus imparting motion to the sprocket-wheel E and the endless chain D in the direction of the arrow a. As soon as the employ reaches the floor on which he desires to get off, he pulls upward on the rope S, whereby the lever T is turned on its pivot, thereby causing, by means of the rope S, the lever U to turn, so that-the short rope 'V pulls the arm It of the bellcrank lever It upward, thus disengaging the clutch I from the clutch If, and at the same time throwing the clutch 1 into contact with the stationary clutch Q, so that the shaft F is prevented from rotating and the motion of the endless chain and its platforms H ceases. When an employ desires to descend, he gets onto one of the platforms II on the right-hand side, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and pulls the rope S upward, so that the lever T is caused to swing, whereby the rope S pulls the arm It of the bell-crank lever B downward, thereby disconnecting the clutches P and Q and connecting the clutches I and L The sprocket-wheel L then imparts a rotary motion to the shaft F and the sprockctwheels E and C and the end less chain D in the direct-ion of the arrow a.

It will be seen that when the shaft F is rotated, being connected by the double clutch P with the sprocket-wheel L, said shaft F is prevented from running faster than the drivingwhecl L, when a heavy load is placed on the descending platforms II, on account of the pawl L of said wheel L engaging the ratchetwhecl O. The pawl XV, cngagin g the ratchetwhecl \V, prevents the shaft F from rotating in the inverse direction of the arrow a, so that the sprocket-wheels C E and the endless chain D move only in one direction.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A passenger-elevator comprising an endless chain passing ovcr sprocket-wheels, platforms secured at suitable intervals to said endless chain,a shaft carrying one of said sprocketwheels, a double clutch held to slide on and turning with said shaft, a stationary clutch adapted to be engaged by said double clutch, a driving-wheel held loosely on said shaft and provided with a clutch adapted to be engaged by said double clutch, and a shifting device for throwing said double clutch into and out of gear with said fixed clutch and said clutch on the driving-wheel, substantially as shown and described.

2. Ina passenger-elevator, the combination, withthemainshaft,ofadriving-wheel mounted loosely on the said shaft, a clutch for locking the wheel to the shaft, a ratchet-wheel on the said shaft, and a pawl on the drivcwheel and engaging the ratchet'wheel, substantially as dcscribcd,whereby provision is made for pro venting the shaft from turning faster than the drive-wheel, as set forth.

8. In a passengenclcvator, the combination, with an endless chain passing over sprocketwheels, of platforms secured to the endless chain, each platform consisting of two brackets hinged together at their inner ends, sub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

i. In a passengcrelevator, the combination, with an endless chain passing over sprocketwheels, of platforms held on said endless chain, and each consisting of two crossplatcs secured to said chain, each cross-plate carrying a floor and the two floors being hinged together at their inner ends, substantially as shown and described.

In a passenger-elevator, the combination, with an endless chain, of two cross-pieces soon red to said endless chain, brackets extending from said cross-pieces toward each other, a door supported by the brackets of each crosspicce, and hinges for securing the inner ends of said floors together, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a passenger-elevator, the combination, with an endless chain, of platforms secured at suitableintervals to said endless chain, friction rollers or plates held on said platforms, guide-plates on which said friction-rollers travel, and hooks secured to said platforms and engaging said guide-plates, so as to hold the platforms in place, substantially as shown and described.

7. In a passenger-elevator, the combination, with a shifting-lever for stopping or starting the main shaft, of a rope connected with said shifting-lever, a lever on which one end of said rope is secured, a second rope secured to the other end of said lever,a second lover,on which the other end of said second rope is secured, and a third rope connecting the second lever with said shiftiug-levcr,substantially as shown and described.

SETH K. HUMPHREY.

Witnesses:

II. K. J'IUMPIIREY, A. \V. K. IIUMPHREY. 

